This year marks the 35th annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale, an event that brings together more than 100 western artists to raise funds for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY. Although the main events happen September 23-24, they are only the finale to the numerous happenings leading up to it. As show director Kathy Thompson puts it, “Cody is a small town that puts on a big party.”

The invitational show opens for viewing with a reception on Wednesday, August 24, at 6 p.m. and culminates in a live auction on Friday, September 23, at 6 p.m. This year, 108 artists have works on the block, including longtime partic-ipants such as Brett James Smith, T.D. Kelsey, Howard Post, and Jim Wilcox. Deon Duncan, Charlie Hunter, and C. Michael Dudash, among others, join the show for the first time this year. “People love our event because, out of the 108 artists, 75 or 80 attend. People get to mix and mingle and learn about the artists’ styles,” Thompson says.

Artists submit a single work to the main sale, though many contribute others to the silent auction and the miniatures wall. The one exception is the honored artist, who hangs several works. This year, Laurie J. Lee, a longtime friend of the show, is recognized. “Laurie was chosen for her dedication to the show and sale. She’s been in the sale just under 30 years. She’s a great representative artist of the American West,” Thompson says. Lee’s show contributions span the breadth of her subject matter, from figurative work to western themes and wildlife. “It’s hard for me to stick to one subject and keep doing it,” she says. “I like too many things to be drawn to only one.” In the past few years, Lee has transitioned from watercolor to oils. “The buttery texture of the paint just went on faster and allowed me to experiment a little more,” she says.

Fellow participating artist and Wyomingite Rox Corbett contributes a charcoal work that captures a fox sniffing a bug as her kit crouches underneath her. “I like to bring the subjects up close and focus on the texture, dark shadows, and highlights. A lot of people use charcoal for rough stuff. I elevate it to something more precise,” she says.

Insights such as these emerge during the workshops, classes, and tours held in the week leading up to the sale. Other event highlights include By Western Hands, a design exhibition featuring functional art and western furniture that opens in a tent adjacent to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West at 10 a.m. on September 21 and continues through the 24th; a ticketed Quick Draw and brunch that takes place in the Indian Powwow Garden on Saturday, September 24, at 9 a.m.; and the invitation-only Patrons Ball that night, which is the final event of the show. —Ashley M. Biggers

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Gradually, the artist found less and less satisfaction in merely “painting what I thought would sell.” That’s when he began turning back to the mostly American Indian-inspired figurative works that the East Coast gallery owner had warned him to avoid.